From International Viewpoints (IVy) Issue 7 - August 1992 Conferences - 1992 By Antony A Phillips, Denmark. May be you wonder why we produce this little magazine. What is the purpose of it, why use up the precious free time of so many (hundreds of) people? Is not it a little like the old scientology orgs, where one person audited to every few hundred that did admin?? Put another way, why spend all that time writing and talking, when one could be - doing - really important things like auditing and bettering the worlds condition, and one's own town's condition, and even handling one's mother in law terminatedly (as we used to say in the church, but here I only meant handling her compulsive outflow - not the coffin solution to irritating relations). Restart seriously Whoops. Lets starta gain (awhat? A gain!). What is the purpose of this little paper (magazine)? I can tell you what it is not. It is not to produce a magazine for scientologists. Maybe you thought it was, and perhaps that is not a bad purpose, but we go deeper, more fundamental, are more - right - (whoops, looks like there are shadows of a service fac there!) than that. And we have looked pretty thoroughly at our purpose, and formulated and reformulated it many times. And maybe we will reformulate it many times more - it is probably a bit healthier to change your mind than to be fixed and rigid. (That last sentence is to prevent you making me wrong next time we reformulate the purpose - I do so hate being made wrong, perhaps because it invalidates my basic beingness). Down to Brass Tacks The purpose behind IVy is to increase communication amongst those who regard themselves as inheriting, and/or using, some or all of the positive things Ron promulgated. This purpose gives a far wider horizon that just giving out a paper. A long time ago (1985, I think) at the second Free Scientology Conference in Switzerland, an International Communication Network was formed. You have never heard of it? Well, it failed (after getting about 20 relay points willing and able in nearly as many countries). I think one major reason for its failure was the adding of another purpose (that of being a 'Qual' for free scientology tech). We do not intend to add purposes above and beyond helping communication flourish amongst free Scn. More than a mag But you can see that our purpose is wider than a magazine, though a mag is one good means of achieving our purpose. Therefore this article is headed Conferences. We like to see communication flourishing amongst free scientologist (actually amongst - all - scns). And we have seen much communication occur at conferences. So we would like to encourage conferences, and last year we were very pleased to bring reports on three conferences that occurred in Europe. This year we had hoped to give advanced warning of conferences, so those who needed to plan in advance could do so, and thus more would be able to attend. However things have not gone as we intended. From the Metapshychology area we learned that they did not want their 1992 conference publicized in - IVy. - This may seem a bit odd to you. However it has its reasons. Firstly, though I regard Metapsychology to be well within the tradition of scn, there is not whole hearted agreement with me on that point. And secondly Metapsychology is making very deep inroads (quite amazing when you compare with the mess scientology has made) in important areas, and an association with the name scientology acts strongly against that praiseworthy activity. If you want to go to a Metapsychology Conference (which I warmly reccomend) then contact the IRM. I can give you the addresses. The next conference we talked about last year was the Source Conference held in Holland. This was planned to occur in England, but I got this simple message from Ray Kemp in my telephone answerer: "We cannot find anyone who is willing to take the responsibility of organising a conference in England". Thats the news there. The last one was the Rons Org Conference. Here we have positive news: Probably November 1992, possibly in Switzerland. Full details not yet available, but if you drop me a line at Box 78, I'll forward details on to you. As for conferences in other continents - well the paper you are reading has suddenly gone red because I am blushing so deeply. The fact is that we are not - yet - as international as our title claims. Let us change the subject. MiniConferences Ron once wrote a policy "Why Orgs Stay Small" which (I love generalities with one specific in) I don't think anybody but I understood. I have run a couple of groups using this principle in the 70's. - A Group is a proper size when the individuals in it can easily approach the manager of that group on a friendly basis and be sure he knows what they're doing and why and if they are doing it. LRH, "Why Organizations Stay Small" VII, 308. - In the two recent conferences I attended I observed the following: 1. People got a lot out of meeting other 'ordinary people'. 2. Conferences in English had a language barrier for many. 3. Travelling far, luxurious accomodation, and costly speakers (perhaps travelling across oceans) made things expensive, and communication itself is free (you sometimes pay for the media). Additionally, I felt that if people had more time together, without attention on 'important people', they might possibly become a little active themselves, realize that they were also important people, and they was no absolute neccessity for some one with authority to act, before anything happened. Given a relaxed, ARC atmosphere, there might be many things they might realise, without promptings or permissions from almighty beings, Gurus, opinion leaders or little Hitlers.. Therefore a little plan, an experiment, was set in action. In our sister magazine, - Uafhngige Synspunkter, - which has no English material in it, a little announcement was made of a little conference which would be cheap, to take place in the scandinavien languages (which are more or less mutually understandable).We also announced that we would help with the fares of people who came from the more distant parts of Scandinavia. There was no big campaign to get people to come. The conference was held in the middle of June. There were ten attenders, from Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The cost was 100 Kr (about 10 pounds or $15) which covered one hot meal (Pizza) and running refreshments with small cakes. Neccesary overnight facilities were provided free with friends and in a primitive manner (those that stayed with me slept on a mattress on the floor). And half the travel expenses were refunded to them that asked for it. The conference was largely in small groups (three to four people), where people got to know each other, helped each other, and talked a little about the third dynamic we are members of. And it was successfull. If you would like to have a little more communication than - IVy - gives you, why not organise a little something in your area. I reckon your local distributor (or I) will help with addresses or mailings. And there is no H. issueing policy you must adhere to. So you can do what you and your (perhaps new) friends want! - Freedom! - - Of course - there are many ways to increase communication. Small (inexperienced and innocent) can be beautiful.